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Delhi Police has informed a court here that, as per its orders, an FIR has been lodged against HDFC Bank along with unknown persons for allegedly cheating a retired bureaucrat of over Rs 13.6 lakh by making withdrawals from his bank account and also forging his wife's signatures.

Police was directed by the court to register an FIR on the complaint by Ramendra Nath Poddar, who retired from the post of Joint Secretary and was Legal Advisor in the Ministry of Law and Justice, under relevant provisions of the law and to investigate the matter throughly.

"Having heard the submissions and perused material available on record, in my considered opinion, the allegations as levelled by the complainant disclose the commission of a cognisable offence, which requires investigation by police.

"Therefore, SHO Police Station Preet Vihar is hereby directed to register the FIR in the present case under the relevant provisions of law, investigate throughly and after completion of investigation, file the report under Section 173 CrPC at the earliest," said Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Kuldeep Narayan.

Poddar, who was also a former acting chairperson of the Appellate Tribunal for Foreign Exchange, has alleged that Rs 4,20,690 was illegally withdrawn from his bank account with HDFC Bank's Preet Vihar branch through credit/debit/ATM card by some unknown persons.

The complaint, filed through advocate Tarun Goomber, said that the amount was withdrawn from different locations and in different cities, though he had never applied for any credit/debit/ATM Card.

It was also alleged that Rs 9.41 lakh were taken out from another account, jointly operated by Poddar and his wife, by forging her signatures on false cheques.

The complainant had sought registration of an FIR against the bank, its officials and other private persons for offences including cheating, forgery, using of forged documents, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy.

"It is alleged that unknown accused persons in connivance with bank officials have misappropriated hard-earned money of the complainant... and despite making written complaint to the SHO concerned, police have not taken any action so far," Goomber argued while seeking registration of the FIR.

The complainant came to know of the fraud when, in August, he went to the bank to get a Fixed Deposit of Rs 9 lakh but officials there told him that there was insufficient balance in his account when it was, on the contrary, supposed to have more than the adequate funds.